Growing Pains
by Obsidian And Cobalt
Summary: Up until now, she had never wanted anything more than what she had. But now things are changing, and she doesn't know what to want anymore. Multi-chapter AU. MadokaXHomura, more pairings on the sidelines. Shameless fluffy yuri everywhere.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer- I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
This is the first multi-chapter I've started in a long time. Celebrations are in order! *Pulls party-popper* Wootz! Okay, moving swiftly on. This is essentially just an AU version of the anime; focusing on the serious under-lying shoujo-ai undertones of the series. There's not enough shameless, no-strings-attached fluffy yuri in this fandom, dammit. Without the whole contracting Puella-Magi thing, I mean. Now, without further ado; enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 1  
New Arrival  
**_

_**~Prologue~**_  
In all honesty, she hadn't been expecting much out of her highschool experience. She didn't feel that way because of a gloomy view of life. On the contrary; she was quite the optimist.

It was just that Madoka was expecting nothing more than to get in, and get out. To enjoy the experience and make new friends, to progress through this step of education then move onto university. Just another compulsory chunk of life to complete – then to look back on with fond memories when she was older.

And up until now; that had been how it was working. She had been in the same class as her childhood friend Miki Sayaka since junior year, and they had both gotten close to the class representative Shizuki Hitomi as time progressed. They had a decent clique going on, sharing lunch hour together and conversing on their free time, helping each other through any complicated school work.

She had nothing to complain about. She had friends, a loving family, decent grades, and nobody disliked her enough to tease or taunt her. Therefore – she had never seen why people got so caught up in lusting after more when they had all that they needed. Life was good, and she was content with what she had.

Until the first day of term after Halloween break in her fourth year of highschool. The day that everything began to change. Though she had brushed it off as nothing more than a momentary lapse of odd behaviour at the time – Madoka knew deep down that something strange was beginning to work its charm over her.

Because when she saw that girl at front of class, she had just stared. Of course, she wasn't the only one. Everyone had looked longer than they had to. This mysterious newcomer was undeniably pretty, and had a sense of secrecy about her. Combined with the fact of being a transfer student; it had made for a very interesting appeal.

"I'm Akemi Homura." A deep bow. "It's nice to meet you all."

The first words she had ever heard the girl say still rang in Madoka's head. But she would never forget that day. For the very first time, something inside her snapped. And she finally knew what it was to yearn.

*X*X*X*X

"Man, she's cute!" Sayaka kicked her chair around turning to face the one in the desk behind her. "Looks like Hitomi's got competition with the love letters." She threw a glance over her shoulder to the front of the class – where the new girl was being flocked around and asked various questions. When she got no answer, she waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "Hey, come back to planet Earth!"

Madoka blinked hazily and shook her head, expression vague. "Huh?" She dropped the hand that she was perching her chin on back to the desk. "Sorry, what?"

"Her." The blue-haired girl jerked a thumb behind her, rolling her eyes. "Hot or not?"

"Hot," she blurted thoughtlessly in reply.

"_Well_, seems like she's made an impression on you." Her friend grinned in mirth, raising her eyebrows in amused disbelief and stretching her arms lazily above her head. "Not like you to be so blunt. Maybe you'll be one of the ones to contribute to her undoubtable future abundance of love letters!"

She pulled a face and looked away. "Don't be weird, Sayaka-chan."

"Hey, I'm not judging." The latter held up her hands in mock surrender. Apparently something caused the chatter at the front of the room to escalate, and she glanced behind her. When looked back, she was grinning devilishly. "Don't look now, but I think your prince is coming to sweep you off your feet."

Madoka soon realized what she meant, and felt her cheeks flush with heat as she saw the topic of conversation walking straight for them. "Shh! Don't say things like that, she might hear you." She swallowed anxiously, trying not to gawp and kept her eyes on her friend.

"I think that's the point. If you don't let her know about your undying love, how can it be so? Not like I'd _let_ it be so – I have dibs on you. You'll make a good wife, I think."

She hung her head and groaned, hiding behind her pink bangs. Sayaka was her bestfriend, but she really did torture her via over the top teasing sometimes.

"Kaname-san, can you take me to the nurses' office?"

An unfamiliar but recognizable voice sounded from right beside her, making her jump. She dragged her sight from the floor, bringing it to meet the piercing lilac eyes that looked back at her. That gaze made her feel exposed, and she knew that she was blushing.

"Are- Are you sick?"

"To an extent," was the ambiguous reply. Brushing a stray strand of ebony hair from her face, she regarded the group of students that had been bombarding her with questions for the past ten minutes out of the corner of her eye, distaste playing over her features.

"Yeah – sure. I'll show you." Much to her chagrin; she nearly tripped over her own feet as she stood up. The sigh she got after doing so made her feel even more insecure.

"I'll see you later," Sayaka said, doing a terrible job at keeping a straight face. A snicker slipped out – and Madoka took this as her cue to get moving before another god-awful joke was made.

Walking down the hallways to the infirmary; she couldn't help but steal the occasional peek at the one in-pace beside her. She noticed that Homura was about half a head taller than herself, and the girl's hair was longer than most – hanging loosely down to her hips. Another thing to take note of was that she wasn't exactly a conversationalist. So, she took it upon herself to try to learn a bit about the transfer student. Or at least drag a few words out of her.

"You'll have to forgive them." Madoka rubbed the back of her neck in unease when she felt that stare on her once again, looking right through her. "They're not usually so clingy. The class, I mean. We just rarely get transfers, especially this late on." They rounded a corner, their destination up just ahead.

"I can't blame them for being curious. They'll get tired of me soon enough though; I'm not a very interesting person." Reaching the infirmary, they both grinded to a halt. "I think I'll be fine from here. Thank you, Kaname-san."

"Heh – no problem." She was starting to wonder if this girl was capable of emoting beyond the same passive expression. "I'll see you around, then." A curt nod was her reply, then the door was slid open – and the dark-haired girl was gone.

Madoka heaved a sigh of relief, finally able to breathe easy now that the overwhelming presence had gone. She started back towards class. _`Not an interesting person.'…Ha!_

_**First chapter down. All in one sitting! I'm so proud of myself :B Deerrp. Anyways, let's hope this was up to decent standards. Yes, I've opted badass Homura in lieu of her shy-as-hell counterpart. Because where's the fun in that? I'd appreciate reviews – feedback is always awesome.  
-Obsidian  
X3**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
A fast update; albeit one that I think is lacking. Well, I shall call it filler and leave it at that. I have reasons! I'm bored and bedridden with the flu, so without college to keep me busy; I decided I may as well get writing XD Now then, this got a LOT more attention than I thought it would – positive attention at that. *Faints from shock* Thanks for all the reviews, everyone :3  
Now, on with this chapter!**_

_**Chapter 2  
Puzzlement**_

Having arrived to school a few hours later; Hitomi she sighed in mild exasperation.

"Of course. It's typical that my appointments would clash with the most interesting thing that's happened this year." She had spotted the new addition to the class soon after walking into the room a few minutes ago. Naturally, she had come straight to her friends for explanations to clear up her questions.

"You didn't miss that much," Madoka mumbled, a thousand miles away from the conversation as she fiddled absent-mindedly with the button on the cuff of her shirt.

Sayaka looked sceptically at her pink-haired friend. "Are you kidding? Hitomi, you should have seen her in maths class. She was going through algebra equations like I go through pocky!"

"She sounds interesting…" The class representative looked considerate. "…I wonder what school she went to before."

"Someplace in Tokyo. A fancy academy, I'll bet."

Madoka wanted to slam her head down on the table as the two girls around her desk continued to converse about the new student. It was the last thing she wanted to be trapped listening to.

For some weird reason that was beyond her, she couldn't get the transfer student out of her mind. She kept re-living their short lived interactions, wondering that if she hadn't been such a nervous wreck that she may have got to know Homura a little better. That only raised further questions though – why did she want to know more about the transfer student? More to the point; why was she so nervous around the girl?

Madoka shook her head, dragging herself out of the inner-turmoil. She was letting this bother her too much. It couldn't mean anything important. She hoped.

"I got caught up in something and let the break run on, I apologize. Everyone, hurry to your next class before you're late!" There was an obvious edge to her voice.

She hadn't even noticed Saotome-sensei enter the room until she spoke – efficiently breaking off the chatting between Hitomi and Sayaka.

"I bet she called her boyfriend and got into a fight," Sayaka snickered as she reached under her desk and grabbed her bag.

"What class do we have next?" Hitomi questioned, hanging back to wait on the other girls as they stood up and collected their things.

"Gym; then literacy, and then we're free for the day. Hey, Madoka, you still with us?" The blue-haired girl waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh – yeah." She rubbed the back of her neck, grinning crookedly. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

*X*X*X*X*

"Amazing!"

"So cool!"

"Did…did she just break the school record?"

Several girls were clustered by the long jump alongside the gym teacher; gawping and cheering at the sight of Homura effortlessly performing the perfect run-up, jump and backwards break roll.

"Damn, Akemi can really move. She must've been in an athletics club before." Sayaka reclined back, lying down. Sprawled on the grass by the side of the track, the three friends watched as the rest of the class did the long jump, having already taken their turn.

"Wait – Akemi? That can't be right." Having been relatively quiet for the past few minutes, Hitomi perked up with an expression of confusion.

"What do you mean? That's how she introduced herself."

"I missed the student council meeting this morning on account of my doctor's appointment, but I ran into Kazuki-san – the representative for the ninth grade class - on my way in. He said there was mention of a transfer student to our class, but her name wasn't Akemi."

"Really? So we're getting another transfer? They must be breeding."

"I don't think that's how it works, Sayaka-chan," Madoka murmured, breaking her silent streak with a look of weak amusement on her face. She opened her hand and let the grass that she had been pulling out of the dirt flutter back to the ground.

"She speaks! To what do we owe this honour?" The blue-haired girl's words were laced with playful sarcasm. "Let me guess – you were `thinking,'" she cut in just as Madoka opened her mouth to speak.

"I think class is over. Everyone's starting to go inside." Pointing to the girls who were clustering together and walking towards the locker rooms, the green-haired girl rose to her feet. The other two followed suit, equally eager to get changed and get through their last class of the day.

Lagging behind the pair – Madoka found herself being the only one to be called back by the gym teacher.

"Kaname, can you gather up the equipment? I'm a bit busy."

Nodding obediently, she turned on her heel and went to start collecting the various things lying around the track, barely bothering to note that the reason the sensei was busy was because she was talking to another student.

*X*X*X*X*

Dropping the last of the heavy equipment into the correct boxes in the store room; Madoka rubbed her sore upper arms and jogged for the locker rooms to get changed. Unless she hurried, the ten minute swap over time between classes wouldn't matter; and she'd be late to double literacy.

Though she had disregarded that while she was held back to clean up; someone else had been delayed by a talkative athletics teacher.

So when she stepped into the should-be-deserted locker rooms; she was understandably surprised when she found Homura standing there. Apparently, the surprise was mutual. Half-way though slipping into her shirt, the dark-haired girls' head snapped upwards to see who was barging in.

"Oh – I…didn't know anyone else was in here…" Shrugging uneasily, Madoka pushed the door shut and made her way to the bench that her uniform and gym bag was sitting on. She was doing her best not to think about – or look at - the transfer student, who still wouldn't get out of her head.

But her no looking rule was broken when she found herself watching the dark-haired girl out of the corner of her eye – and not just for perverted reasons. She had noticed it when she walked in the door, but could get a better look now that she was closer.

Starting in the center of Homura's collar bone and trailing right down under her purple bra and to the top of her midriff was a scar. A very prominent, narrow red scar that contrasted sharply with the girl's otherwise unblemished pale skin.

That looks...really painful… Was all she could think before the shirt was buttoned up fully and hid the mark from sight once again.

"Stop looking at me like that."

The aggravated words brought Madoka back into reality and her throat went dry. She found that watching from the corner of her eye and turned into blatant open staring; which inevitably hadn't gone unnoticed. Though instead of getting a dirty look as she would have expected; Homura actually appeared to be caught in a stage of bitter embarrassment.

Hastily shoving her used kit into her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, the girl grabbed the tie and sweater she was yet to put on. Without another word, she was gone with the slam of a door.

"…I'm Sorry." Madoka apologized several seconds too late, to the empty locker room.

_**Good grief, this was terrible. *Slams head on table* I swear it'll pick up next chapter, where things aren't so filler-ish. **__**('~')**_ _**Though it'll give you some things to be curious about, won't it? *Insert Twilight Zone music here* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading to some degree. Even if Madoka was about as talkative as a brick wall. Reviews are loved! *Blatant winking*  
-Obsidian  
X3**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer - I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
A bit of a later update, but I was stuck at the doctors/coughing up my lungs. Anyways, finally some plot is going down~ I had fun writing this chapter, so let's hope you enjoy reading it!**_

_**Chapter 3  
Mid-week Insanity**_

The infirmary was mostly deserted; devoid of its usual occupant of the nurse who was nowhere to be seen. Usually, Madoka would have found it strange and wondered why the woman had abandoned her post. But at that very moment, she was a bit preoccupied with the fact that only the transfer student was with her in the room.

She went to leave, and got halfway towards the door then she froze on the spot when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a warm body.

"We're all alone…"

Hot breath blew against her neck, making the blood rush straight to her head.

"…So don't go yet, Kaname-san."

Madoka moved her hands to the ones clasped across her stomach, weakly attempting to pry them off. "We'll be late for class," was the best excuse she could think of to bail herself out of the situation.

"Not if we're quick, so don't resist."

The seductive whisper melted any resistance she still felt, and she didn't fight when moist lips pressed against her neck, making her shudder. Leaning her head to one side, she exposed her throat to more of the intimate assault, whimpering when teeth grazed the sensitive flesh.

"Kiss me." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Her answer was the other girl pulling back with a smirk that absolutely dripped sex appeal. Turning her around and cupping her cheek, the transfer student leaned in…

_BeeepBeeeeepppBeeeeeppppppp_

Madoka's eyes snapped open, finding herself face-deep in her favorite plushie as per-usual. Yawning, she drowsily leaned across the bed and reached for her cell phone on the floor to shut off the alarm.

She had just shut off the persistent beeping before the sleepy haze hanging over her mind evaporated; drawing her attention to the very fresh memory of the dream she had just had.

She dropped her phone back onto the floor with a dull thud.

Her eyes went wide.

She promptly jammed her face back against her plushie and squealed.

"What was that?!"

_A dirty dream? With _her! _That's so…weird!_

Her face was aflame, and she could feel the heat scorching her cheeks. Though that wasn't the only place that felt hot.

Squawking at the realization, she decided to get ready and get to class before any more questions could come of this. All too hectically; she tried to leap out of bed only to get tangled in her blankets and crash down onto the floor with an almighty bang.

Madoka groaned, forehead pressing against the carpeted floor. "I'm going crazy."

*X*X*X*X*  
"You look terrible," Sayaka informed flatly the second she sat down after dragging herself into the classroom.

On instinct – and perhaps a little bit paranoid – her hands shot up to the ribbons in her hair.

"Woah, do those things come with volume control?" The blue-haired girl covered her eyes in mock pain. "I need sunglasses just to look at them!"

Not even five minutes into class, and Madoka already wanted to retreat home and take her chances with questionable dreams. _Why_ had she let her mother talk her into opting her usual bland ribbons with bright red ones? "Are they really _that_ bad?"

"Very bright…But nice, I like them. At least now I'll never have trouble looking for you in a crowd – just look for the scarlet woman!" She grinned cheekily. "Oh come on, why so sad?"

"You just said they looked terrible."

"No – I said they looked bright. I said _you_ looked terrible. Like you've just sucked on a lemon, actually."

"That's not much better, Sayaka-chan." Sighing in defeat, she put her folded her arms on the desk and put her head down. "Have you ever had a weird dream?" She needed advice – and she didn't really care who it came from.

"Oh yeah, loads of time. I had one on Monday night, actually."

"Really?" Quirking up in her seat, she felt hope flame in her chest. Maybe this was just a thing that everybody thought of once in a while, it didn't mean anything after all!

"Yeah. I was stuck in this carnival funhouse with all these zombie polar bears."

Then again, maybe she was the only one having weird dreams. About overly appealing girls seducing her in the nurses' office.

_Oh help. _She face planted the table again.

"Eh – Madoka?!"__

*X*X*X*X*

_Okay, I can do this. I just need to talk to her, and then I can prove to myself that she's just a normal person, nothing special about her. _

Madoka pounded her fist into her hand determinedly, walking briskly towards the infirmary in not-so-hot pursuit of the transfer student who had left for there a few minutes ago. It was only her second day attending the school; but she was already developing a ritual of going to the sick bay every time the class had a break.

_Right, time to prove that my dream was just a result of a crazy infatuation. Just a crush, it's just because Akemi-san's cool, that's all. I'm probably not the only one…_

Exhaling to calm herself down, she pushed open the door the second she arrived without hesitation.

"The nurse isn't here – she had to go on a message." The one she was looking for had her back to her, currently riffling through the medical cabinet.

The door swung shut just as she heard that, and Madoka almost had a heart attack. No authority around for the foreseeable future; and a clear lack of any other sick students. Just her and the other girl, all alone.

_Talk about __Déjà vu…_

"That's alright; I was actually looking for you." Taking a deep breath and stepping forward, she tried to resist the instinct to chew her lip.

"Kaname-san?" Homura turned upon hearing her voice, one hand full of medication boxes and a perplexed expression. "What do you want?"

"That's a lot of medicine," she murmured to herself, earning an unamused look. "Er – I mean, I wanted to apologize."

"Why?"

"For yesterday, for staring at you in the locker rooms. I wasn't checking you out or anything, honest! It's not what you think it was!" She knew she was becoming flustered; but couldn't help it. She wasn't used to lying, either. To be accurate, she wasn't _just_ staring on account of checking out the new girl, but because of that mark, as well.

"It's fine."

The dark-haired girl brushed off her panicked behaviour passively, and for some reason it disappointed her. The answer just felt lacking, somehow. She wasn't sure what she was expecting; maybe disagreement, even an insult. But overall, a bit of conversation either way. How was she supposed to clear up this stupid infatuation when the transfer student wouldn't stop playing the mysterious stranger card?

"You really don't say very much." She crossed her arms when the reply was as elusive as ever.

"What do you want me to say?" Homura began opening the medication boxes, popping out the tablets from their trays and into her hand.

"I don't know. Something about yourself, maybe. Something that you haven't already told all the others."

"Why are you so interested?"

The girl didn't look up, refusing to meet her eyes and focusing on the tablets in her hand. Madoka pouted, knowing that it was obvious that she was sulking. Couldn't Homura at _least_ pay attention?

"Because I am. You're really smart and athletic, but you won't say what school you went to before. You're really pretty; but you won't tell if you have a boyfriend," _okay, I'm getting off topic here…_"I like you – so open up a bit more!"

That did the trick. Maybe too efficiently. She watched in surprise as the other girl glanced up, dark red staining her cheeks and appearing coy. Any other time she would have called it adorable, until she realized in horror what she had just said.

"Ka-Kaname-san, you-"

"Heh…that came out wrong…I mean like in the friend way. Yeah, I wanna be friends!" Madoka tried to appear nonchalant, though she wanted nothing more to abandon ship and run for her life.

This was crashing and burning, and it was making eyeing a girl up in the locker room look like a perfectly normal thing to do. She was starting to wish that she'd brought Sayaka with her. At least that way, she would have had someone to say that she'd `lead a sheltered life and doesn't know what she's saying,' or something of the sort to lighten the mood.

"Okay…"

Lost in thought, she could only answer the uncertain and suddenly-shy girl with an oblivious stare.

"…Let's be friends."

Just like that, the total train wreck of the past few minutes shaped up to fit fairy-tale standards, and she had to resist the urge to squee.

_**Yes, squee is now a word by my standards. It has been added to my MS Word dictionary – so it is official! 8D Now, it is time for me to take some medicine and pass out for the night. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! :3  
-Obsidian  
X3 **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
Behold; the result of being unable to sleep! A longer chapter. I'm so proud of myself :B Anyways, this will hopefully have some decent fun stuff going down~ Thanks for all your reviews, by the way :3 Not much else to say, so enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 4  
When One Wasn't Enough**_

"How was your conquest to talk to Tall, Dark and Handsome?" Sayaka asked playfully when she got back to class, looking zoned out.

"I got her number," Madoka murmured breathlessly.

"Really?" The blue haired girl walked round to face her, plucking the carefully cradled cell phone out of her friends' hands. Scrolling through the listings, she sure enough found a number to match Homura's name. "You sure work fast." She got no reply, and was more than thankful when Hitomi arrived soon after from her early morning student council meeting.

"Good morning, how are you both?" Hitomi came to stand beside their desks after dropping her bag at her own.

"I'm good. But don't try talking to Madoka," Sayaka told her flatly, ceasing picking at the edge of her desk to turn around. "She's been on cloud nine since she got Akemi's number ten minutes ago." To demonstrate her point, she snapped her fingers in front of the pink-haired girls' face, to which she got no reaction.

"Oh my." Hitomi regarded the girl in concern.

"Yup. She's gone and she's not coming back."

Before anything else could be said; Madoka was stirred from her happiness-induced stupor as everyone else was roused from their usual chatting. There was a loud ruckus kicking off outside the class. Some of the more adventurous and inquisitive members of the class looked like they were about to go and investigate; until the door flung open.

"Fine, I'm in! Happy now?" A girl stormed into the room, expression livid.

Miss Saotome staggered in after her, looking positively exhausted. "Class, we have a new student starting today…" A strained silence ensued. "Introduce yourself. _Please._" Her tone of voice was imploring as she eyed the sulking girl warily; as if she were a ticking bomb.

"Sakura Kyoko," she said through gritted teeth, flipping her red pony-tail over her shoulder. "Here against my will."

At this point, the silence in the room was stifling. Nobody had seen such deliberate bad conduct to a teacher, nor had they seen the aforementioned teacher be worn down by bad behaviour. So everyone remained silent; except for one.

"Well hello sunshine."

Sayaka said that louder than she had intended to. She had meant it as a whisper for Madoka and Hitomi to hear and giggle to – but the overall quiet atmosphere turned it into a loud statement. All at once, the wire thin tension in the room shattered and the best part of the room burst into laughter. Even Miss Saotome giving a badly concealed smile which she tried to hide behind her hand.

Having her cool you-can't-touch-this-badass self-introduction completely lampooned sent the Kyoko's already thoroughly annoyed mood evolving into totally pissed off state. "What you say?!"

"Woah, I guess it's true. Redheads really _do_ have a bad temper."

Madoka gulped, kicking her foot forward so it connected firmly with the underside of her bestfriends chair; signally for her to shut her mouth sharpish. "Sayaka-chan, don't!" She hissed in a futile attempt to prevent the girl from getting them all killed.

"I'll give you five seconds to take that back."

"How about no?"

"_Girls!" _Miss Saotome intervened the second Kyoko began to menacingly walk down the aisle towards the blue-haired girls' desk by jumping in the way and holding up her hands in surrender. "Any fighting results in automatic suspension. So let's all just calm down."

"No problem, I'll just deck her outside." Sayaka glared at the redhead, who returned the look with tenfold the venom.

"I'll wreck you." Kyoko slouched to the empty seat the teacher pointed for her to take.

"What a bitch," she spat, features twisting in distaste.

"Sayaka-chan you shouldn't provoke her like that, she looks tough!" Madoka exhaled, relieved, and shook her head in disbelief. "She might actually want to fight you now."

Her friend reared around in her chair, speaking quietly but heatedly as Miss Saotome begun the lesson.

"It's her own fault for not being able to take a freaking joke. I mean, come on! And so what if she does? I'll take her."

She buried her face in her hands, moaning dejectedly at her friends' undeniable arrogance. "When we get out of class we're so running for it."

*X*X*X*X*

"This isn't good," Hitomi informed.

"You can say that again," Madoka groaned, leaning against the wall outside the class. The rest of the students had vacated the room a few minutes ago for lunch – including Homura, sadly - but she and her friend were hanging back to wait on Sayaka – who had been held back along with the newest student. Standing close to the door, she could hear snippets of the conversation going on within the room. "Don't you have tea club on today's lunch break?"

"Oh, yes. But the meeting's a little bit later today, so I don't start for another ten minutes. The group captain told us to have a bit of free time to relax before we came to work on our technique." The class rep sighed happily, a dreamy expression on her face. "Tomoe-san's thoughtful like that. A wonderful teacher."

"You seem really taken with him, Hitomi-chan." Distracted from waiting for her blue-haired friend and – and defiantly not eavesdropping – she did a double take of spaced out expression on the greenettes face. "Is this Tomoe-san possibly a good looking teacher? Maybe exactly your type?" Her lips curved into a teasing grin. She was starting to wonder if Sayaka's influence was rubbing off on her.

"Oh no, Tomoe-san's a girl!" Hitomi corrected her, looking scandalized and raising her hands to either side of her face. "I mean she's attractive, but that's forbidden love!"

Before she could reply to the now-awkward air between them, the hushed talking in the classroom flared up, making them both jump. Sayaka's voice was shrill, while Kyoko had to holler back to be heard.

"_What?!_ Don't land me with that – I've seen better personalities on a rabid dog!"

"You're one to talk, at least I don't start what I can't finish!"

"_Girls, please!" _Yet again, Miss Saotome had to come between them. "I'm not changing my mind, so there's no use in arguing. Now, go get your lunches."

A second later, the door flung open and the two girls within emerged.

"I'll end you, Miki!" The redhead snapped before turning and flouncing down the corridor.

"I have to keep tabs on her and stop her from skipping classes; which she got kicked out of her old school for doing, apparently. If she does the disappearing act this time around, we both get detention." Sayaka briefed them and eyed the departing girl angrily. "This is the worst punishment in the history of mankind. I'll see you two in class." Barely pausing to regard her two friends, she ran after the blatant delinquent. "Get your ass back here, Sakura! I'm not taking the heat for your bad attendance!"

"…On the bright side of everything, at least this solves the mystery of the wrongly-named transfer student I told you two about." Hitomi picked up her bag from where it lay at her feet. "Though I should probably get going to tea club."

And then there was one. Madoka looked around herself gormlessly, unable to make head or tails of what was going on.

_This week is just getting weirder and weirder._

*X*X*X*X*  
_Should I text Akemi-san? No, I'll save that for the weekend. I don't want her to think I'm too clingy…_

Finding herself spending lunch hour alone for the first time in quite a while, Madoka wandered aimlessly around campus. She didn't have much of an appetite for some reason, and didn't have anyone help her pass the time.

It was a last resort of desperation when she set her route for the library. It wasn't that she hated reading, she didn't mind it. But she'd rather avoid it if she could, and rarely picked up a book for the sake of enjoyment. Apparently most of the school shared her view, since the building was mostly vacant with the exception of a few students studying.

Unsure of where to start, she dragged her feet to the nearest bookshelf, until something caught her eye and made her look twice. In a table across the way, the one who was the main topic of her thoughts was sitting at one of the empty tables, resting her head on her hand and slowly turning the page of a book.

_Either I'm stalking her subconsciously, or this is fate._

Smile tugging at her lips, she crept up behind the dark-haired girl. She leaned in close, reading the book over her shoulder. Somehow, Homura didn't notice. Until she broke the silence with, "you didn't seem the type to read fantasy."

She was never one to think things through, and it therefore it wasn't unusual for her actions to come back and haunt her. But this was ridiculous. It didn't take the biscuit; instead this failure took the entire goddamned cookie jar. She had totally disregarded that doing that to any normal person would usually scare the hell out of them – and Homura was no exception. Gasping sharply and giving a start; the dark-haired girl unintentionally executed the perfect backwards-headbutt to the face.

Letting out a cry and falling to her knees, Madoka clutched her hands over her nose which was beginning to throb.

"Kaname-san!" Out of her seat in a split second and dropping down, Homura was beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Ughh…I think so…" Her voice was thick, and when she moved her hands to speak, blood dripped freely onto her lips. "Oww!" She winced when a tissue was pressed over her nose, fingers pinching through it.

"I'm sorry, but you scared me." Homura looked at her with concern, lifting her free hand to cup her chin. "Tilt your head or the bleeding won't slow."

_She's touching me…_

Madoka closed her eyes, ignoring the metallic taste in her mouth and focusing on the soft and warm hand against her jaw. "I wanted to surprise you," she informed hazily.

"I don't seem to take those very well. You should take note of that, especially if you're going to keep following me." The dark-haired girl pulled the tissue away, using it to mop away the excess blood around her upper lip.

"I'm not!" Madoka flushed red, shuffling back and away from the transfer student's touch. "There was just that one time today, and this was coincidence!"

"Your nose is still-"

"If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I just wanted to get to know you, Akemi-san." She hung her head, where she realized that the blood hadn't stopped; and was now dropping onto her shirt. "Ahh, tissue, tissue!"

On request; a fresh bit of cloth stemmed the bleeding.

"I was only joking." Homura looked away, her own cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. "I guess I'm not good with humour."

"I didn't think you had a sense of humour," she admitted thickly.

"What do you think I am – a robot? Or maybe some government spy? You and your friend have some very colourful conversations about me." The girl met her stare, eyes sparking in amusement.

"You heard those?" The colour drained from her face, her voice a squeak.

"I couldn't _not_ hear. Miki-san can get very…loud."

"Well it's your own fault for being such a mystery. Maybe if you weren't so secretive, people wouldn't be so curious about you," Madoka said defensively. "…But I guess her theories are a bit crazy…She actually thought you were Yakuza, you know." She grinned crookedly.

Homura shook her head in mock defeat, sighing. "Okay, what do you want to know about me?"

Madoka's face lit up, and she had to resist the urge to punch the air. "Okay, what school did you go to before here?"

"Tokyo elementary."

"I mean middle school, silly." Her voice finally went back to normal when the other girl retracted her hand, the blood flow having finally stopped.

"I missed the first three years of middle school because I was in hospital."

"Eh?" Her excitement ebbed away, stomach beginning to churn. The other girl swallowed uncertainly in turn, looking like she was trying to find the words.

"That scar you saw the other day – it was from a heart transplant. That's why I'm always at the nurses' office; for my medication. I don't tell anyone because I don't want them to treat me like I'm made of glass." The silence was deafening. "So, I'm not government Yakuza cyborg double agent, just a boring person." She smirked goofily.

Not sure how else to react, Madoka surged forward and flung her arms around the girls' neck – her reaction being a noise of surprise and nearly sending both of them toppling back onto the floor.

"You're not boring, so stop saying that. And it's official – we're friends now, so stop running off at lunch on your own without waiting for me!"

"You're crushing my ribs," was the choked reply to her burst of affection. But none the less, she could feel herself being tentatively hugged back after a few strained seconds.

_**I don't even. Yes, this was my plan for Homura all along…Sorta wimpy turned badass via operation…This was better in my head. I was hoping it would explain her being stuck in personality limbo, not being a badass but not a being a pussy either. Oh well. At least I tried! :c And to those worrying – I am getting rest, it's just that I'm so bored! I'm stuck in bed with nothing but endless Simpsons and fanfiction to amuse me DX Why won't this cough go away?! *throttles medicine bottle* Maybe redheads having a temper is a true rumour after all ._.Okay, before I ramble anymore, I'm off XD  
-Obsidian  
X3**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
Herro! I know this is a late update, but I'm not bunking this story; I should point out. I took so long because I had to go to A&E in the small hours of the morning during the week to get stabbed repeatedly in the face with needles and then get dosed on painkillers…Long story short I totally out of my skull for days. Sleepy, sick, and so full of love I'd put Woodstock to shame. All I remember is telling everyone I loved them and giggling like crazy, then puking a lot 8D ANYWAY, I'm somewhat sane again and back XD So enjoy and excuse the late-ness/rambling.**_

_**Chapter 5  
Progress**_

"Fight, fight, fight!"

"I-I'm going to go get a teacher!"

"Who's the new girl?"

"My money's on the new kid!"

On route to the bathrooms to clean the few smears of crusted blood from around her nose and try to mop it out of her shirt, Madoka stopped mid-step halfway through the courtyard. Her features crinkled in confusion at the rambunctious chanting and cheering radiating from a large crowd a few meters away. She senselessly started towards the jamboree to investigate.

Homura – being brought along for the sake of `friends have to hang out' – silently followed, though she didn't exactly think it the best thing to be getting involved in. Still, she kept her lips sealed, not wanting to seem like a kill-joy.

The crowd shifted, and allowed them both of glance of the pair scraping. And just like that, whether she liked it or not, she knew she was going to get involved.

"Sayaka-chan!" The pink-haired girl in front of her dived forward, pushing and shoving through the thicket of the students with a holler the second she saw that her bestfriend was currently in a rather painful looking choke hold.

"Kaname-san!" Biting her lip and hesitating, she pushed her fear to the side and ran after her classmate, knowing that she wouldn't forgive herself if the girl got hurt.

A flushed and grunting Kyoko was hanging onto the blue-haired girl, who was bucking and kicking hopelessly in an attempt to break free.

"Get this crazy ginger offa me!" Spotting her back-up, Sayaka grabbed onto the redhead's forearm with both hands and pried with renewed vigour. She let out a strange `_gakkkk_' sound when the arm around her neck pressed hard into her throat.

Madoka grabbed onto her friends collar, tugging and doing her best to pull her free.

"Leave off. This is a one on one fight, dammit!" Snarling, Kyoko's fang glinted eerily in the corner of her mouth. Having on hand still free, she leaned in and gave the pink-haired girl a hard shove to send her stumbling back.

Almost the second she did it, the redhead found her arm being caught and yanked behind her back. The wrist pushing into Sayaka's neck was squeezed in a particularly sensitive pressure point, making her try to pull away only to have that arm jerked behind her back as well – efficiently freeing the blue-haired girl.

"Don't push her," Homura stated coldly, tightening her grip on the other girl's arms.

Kyoko squirmed in reply, trying to get loose. "Let me go!"

"Not until you calm down."

"Geez, Madoka. Trust you to bring the badass to a fight…" Sayaka rubbed her neck, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "…Not that I'm complaining. But I totally could've taken her down if you just gave me a few minutes."

The girl in question shook her head, nudging her bestfriend with her elbow. "You're lucky Homura-chan was with me, or you could've gotten hurt!"

"`Homura-chan?' You two are certainly getting close."

"Kaname!" An impatient yell cut off the pair's conversation and gained their attention. "Call your girlfriend off me already!"

Sayaka snorted when she saw that Homura was blushing from the redhead's words.

What happened next was a prime example of horrible timing. The athletics teacher came jogging up to the scene, being lead by one of the students who had gone to report the scuffle. "Akemi, I'm surprised at you!"

The pink tinting Homura's cheek faded into nothing and she paled at the sharp rebuke. In a bad attempt to hide the evidence, she hastily released Kyoko.

"Not even here a full week and you're fighting with another student," the sensei shook her head in distaste, crossing her arms.

"Naw, Akemi was just helping me. She started it!" Pointing an accusing finger at her rival, Sayaka immediately backed the dark-haired girl up.

"You started it, you were on my ass the second I walked into class!"

"I don't care who started what – all of you follow me to the principal's office." Shooing away the cluster of on-lookers, the athletics coach beckoned for them to start for the inside of the school, walking behind them to make sure nobody broke away.

Madoka obediently followed the order, the rest of the group trekking indoors with her. Sayaka didn't seem too phased, though her eyes were narrowed. Kyoko stamped along, her face as red as her hair and looking like someone had put a match to her.

Madoka's throat was dry, and her heart was thudding heavily. She hadn't been in serious trouble before, the worst she'd had was being told to quiet down for talking in class. But she hadn't been fighting, so she wouldn't be in too much trouble, right? Fiddling with her collar that seemed suddenly tight, she looked to Homura in hope of reassurance. Much to her surprise, the previously stoic other girl had her head hung and was dragging her feet – clearly just as nervous as she herself.

Instantly feeling guilty, she moved to the side and latched onto the dark-haired girl's arm as they walked. "You could've walked away," she informed when she felt the girl tense under her touch.

"You might have gotten hurt," was her reply.

"Thanks for looking after me, Homura-chan." Releasing the arm and instead hugging her friend fully around the waist, she smiled when a hand rubbed uncertainly at her shoulder.

*X*X*X*X*

The silence in the hallway outside the principal's office was stifling, only broken by a loud _pop_ from Kyoko's gum.

"I don't think this is the time to be chewing gum, jackass."

"Well _I_ don't think this is the time to be starting on me," the redhead responded grouchily to the one sat beside her. "Considering you can't have a fair fight." She smacked her gum extra hard for emphasis.

Further down the row of chairs, Madoka hugged her knees to her chest. "Please, you two, we're in enough trouble as it is."

"I don't plan on coming to blows again…not that it was really punching, just a random attack from behind…" The blue-haired girl gritted her teeth, drumming her fingers on her knee.

"At least _I _didn't have to call in for backup!"

"Stop it, both of you." Homura spoke suddenly, staring vaguely at the ceiling.

"Or what?" The redhead shot a look at her from up the row.

"Or nothing! Just calm down, okay?" Madoka sighed in exhaustion. "You don't have to be so aggressive all the time, Sakura-san."

"Shuddap," Kyoko grumbled, though all the venom appeared to have gone out of her words.

The sounds of footsteps coming up the corridor put any further bitter taunts or conversation on stand-by; where all the girls looked to see who it was.

"Oh Hell," was all Sayaka said when she spotted her mother, who looked livid.

"Uh oh…" Madoka bit her lip when she noticed her father walking closely behind her friend's mother. He wasn't one to get angry, often, though he looked stern as well as concerned.

"Miki Sayaka, _what_ have you got to say for yourself?" Facing her daughter, the woman gave her a no-nonsense look.

Before she could get an answer, Kaname Tomohisa appeared beside her, clearly doing his best to be firm. "Madoka, what hap- Is that blood on your shirt?!" He kneeled down in front of his daughter after seeing the stain, inspecting her up and down for damage and quickly noticing the blood around her nose. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

She nodded, smiling in relief that she wasn't getting yelled at. "I'm fine, daddy, this was just from an accident from earlier. I didn't get punched or anything."

"I don't think you should be coddling her right now, they were _fighting_." Miki Yuki didn't seem to be easing off with her inevitable anger.

"We'll have plenty of time to tell them off when we get them home; and we can discuss their punishment in the principal's office. Right now, I just want to make sure she's okay." Ever level-headed, the man responded calmly.

She sighed and turned to her daughter. "You're not hurt though, are you, Sayaka?"

"My neck hurts a little. The physco was trying to freaking choke me!"

"_Choke _you?" The elder Miki echoed, eyes widening.

"Hey! That was hardly a choke hold, I barely touched you." Kyoko – ending her record-breaking silent streak – spoke up in disagreement.

Sayaka tried not to cheer when her mother's expression darkened, looking like she was about to give the redhead the chew-out of a lifetime. Sadly, the door next to them opened before that could happen.

"I'm ready to see you girls now," the rarely seen head of the school looked out from around the door. He was pulling on the jacket to his dark suit, and straightened his tie as he walked back inside the office.

Homura was the furthest from the office, walking deliberately slowly and trying to stay calm. She hadn't been speaking much, but she couldn't help it. Still, when something grabbed her hand and she looked up to find the pink-haired girl giving her reassuring look, she didn't feel as bad. Madoka pulled her in close just before they went inside, lips brushing against her cheek when she clumsily leaned to whisper in her ear – efficiently making her blaze scarlet

"I'm scared too. But I won't let you get into big trouble, I promise."

With that and a light tug on her hand, she willingly followed the others inside.

"Now, I understand that you were all fighting during lunch hour. I tried to call all your parents, but I couldn't find any numbers for Sakura's and I couldn't get a hold of Akemi's…None the less, how did this start?" The principle had sat down behind his desk, clasping his hands atop the desk.

"I'm not sure how it started, but apparently this girl," the elder Miki beckoned towards the redhead, "had my daughter in a choke hold."

"Really now? Sakura, you've only been in this school for a day. I really need to call your parents, could you provide their number?"

Kyoko snorted. "Sure, all I need is an Ouija board and I'll get them on the line," sarcasm dripped from her words.

The principle, clearly taken aback tried to remain professional. "Then any siblings taking responsibility for you?"

"Yeah, my little sister. Full time accommodation at the graveyard." The redhead was more spiteful than usual, avoiding making eye-contact with anyone.

"Then…a guardian?" The dark-haired man treaded carefully, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

"Like Hell I'd memorize their number. Check my records. Can I go yet?"

"We're not going anywhere until we get bitched out," Sayaka muttered, somewhat surprised along with everyone else at the news of the delinquents' family.

"Watch your language!" Her mother nudged her shoulder sharply.

*X*X*X*X*

It took a good forty five minutes to get to the bottom of everything. And Homura soon learned that despite Madoka's promise and comforting hand-holding, the girl's word wasn't completely reliable.

Four one-week suspensions later; the girls and the two parents to the group were leaving the grounds, the aforementioned suspensions being immediately set to work.

Kyoko had vanished off ahead of the lot of them, making herself scarce. Sayaka was being told off for `winding people up.' Madoka was talking to her father, leaving the dark-haired girl to trail along behind – knowing that she would be getting a very angry phone call from her parents the second the school got through to them.

Despite the sporadic experiences throughout the day between her and the pink-haired girl that made her feel caught between shy and happy and set her heart going crazy, she didn't feel very cheerful now. Now that the strange fuzzy feelings were dying down, it was actually giving her time to reflect on how _weird_ she was feeling. Not ill, just odd thoughts. It wasn't until she was slouching out of the school gates and heading back to her apartment that another recordable event happened.

Madoka hurried up behind her, weaving in front of her and halting her where she walked. "You're not angry at me, are you?"

"No," she looked away when she couldn't help but stare into the girl's eyes.

"I knew the school was all `zero tolerance' on fighting, but I didn't think that we'd _all_ get suspended…" Madoka paused for a second, thinking for something to lighten the mood. "I didn't know that you lived alone, by the way."

"The highschool in Tokyo wouldn't take me because I'd missed too much school, so my parents moved me here. They couldn't come with me because of their work."

Homura was acting distance again, and it was really bugging her. Refusing to let awkward coldness be what they left off on, she tried again. "Can I come to see you during the week? I'm sure I can get out, and you must get lonely all by yourself."

"After being in the hospital I'm used to spending time alone."

Giving up completely, she grabbed onto Homura's arm and tugged impatiently. "Well don't get used to it, be lonely! Well, not in that way. I mean hang out with people a bit more…Like me." The last words were barely out of her mouth before the girl jerked away from her. Her face fell.

She wasn't sure what the dark-haired girl's expression was. Uncertain, frustrated, and then something else.

Madoka didn't want things to crash and burn before they'd even started, not when she had finally started to make progress in getting closer to the transfer student. Not when she still couldn't explain those feelings and that weird dream.

"Kaname-san, just…"

She clenched her fists while she was waiting for the ending to the sentence, her nails biting into her palms and not caring.

"Just…why are you so persistent?" Homura didn't look up from the ground, though her tone of voice was just plain sad.

"Because I like you."

The transfer student did look up then, wondering why the other girl said that like it tied everything up in a perfect bow. It wasn't really an explanation. Not when she had a stomach full of butterflies around her and kept catching the girl staring at her. Saying she was freaking out would be an understatement. "Fine. I'll text you my address." Without waiting for an answer she sidestepped around her classmate and walked briskly.

"Homura-chan!"

She paused, glancing over her shoulder and finding Madoka to be blushing for some reason.

"I really do like you, you know."

"Yeah, I like you too," nodding in acknowledgement, and not really paying attention to the words, she hastily threw a reply behind her and continued on home.

Though she did wonder why Madoka looked so disappointed.

_**THE ANGST. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HUMOUR? SOMEBODY THROW A PIE, FOR**_ _**GODS SAKES! DX When in doubt; bitch fight. This was filler, mainly done for character development on top of everything else. If you're wondering why I made Kyoko so slap-able in this chapter, it was for the sake of making it valid. Botched history – aka dead family - is a decent excuse for present bad behaviour; and it wouldn't really add up to have her so feisty for no reason other than just being a dick 8D It'll make sense, I swear. Homura's stuck in personality limbo again~ Oh lawrd. Anyhow, excuse the late update, once again *headdesk* Back to more regular instalments now. Review, show me you haven't forgotten about this story ;_; Pretty pwease!  
-Obsidian  
X3**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
Another update, and it's longer than most! Woootz! It is time to party. Or read, that works too. Enjoy XD**_

_**Chapter 6  
Education's Overrated**_

_`Fantastic,' _was all Madoka could think at that moment. Clothes soaked through and sticking to her skin let wet tissue paper, she stood in the threshold of the apartment complex and forlornly tried to wring some of the water out of her skirt.

Her _best_ skirt.

A few droplets fell onto the linoleum covered floor, and twisting the fabric left the hem badly crinkled. Groaning, she didn't even want to know how water-logged she looked. She had made a point to wake up extra early, to have enough time to wash her hair in the shower.

Doing all that was pointless now.

Frustrated, she undid the ties holding her hair back and raked her fingers through the pink locks, trying to comb out the tangles – an inevitable occurrence thanks to the pouring rain outside. She toyed with the idea of retreating back home, but decided against it. If she backed out now she'd never work up the courage to come back. Even if her best outfit was trashed until the next laundry day and she needed another shower, she was still going to stick to her word and go see the transfer student.

Wiping the smears of the rain off her face, she took a breath and made her way for the stairs.

_Floor three, room six._

*X*X*X*X*X*  
Madoka was starting to wish she had turned back when the dark-haired girl answered the door. Purple eyes looked her down, then up, blatantly unamused and doing a wonderful job of making her feel insecure.

"…You walked through that rain, didn't you?"

She didn't answer the question – more fascinated by the new addition to Homura's face. "…You wear glasses?"

Her hand was grabbed and she was tugged indoors. Stumbling along, Madoka reached back to swing the door closed before ending up in the bathroom. A towel from the nearby rack was over her head before she could even comprehend what was going on. It took a minute to realize that the other girl drying her hair for her.

"I thought you'd stay home when you saw the state of the weather," was all that was muttered, ever a person of few words.

"I said I'd come, didn't I?" The towel, though absorbing the moisture, was _not_ helping the tangles in the tresses. That much she could feel, the fluffy white cloth tousling her hair to new levels.

"Couldn't you have at least brought an umbrella?"

"I did!" She raised a finger to emphasis her point. The towel may have been hanging over her eyes, but she had no doubt that she was on the receiving end of a sceptical look. "…The wind just sort of…stole it." Her hand dropped dejectedly, still in mourning for her favorite umbrella being ripped into orbit and turning inside out in mid-air.

The sound that followed made her lift the towel from her face to make sure she was hearing correctly.

Homura's shoulders shook, and she tried to keep a straight face; but she eventually caved and snickered openly.

She gawped, not sure if she should be amazed or embarrassed. Her cheeks tinged red, and the latter emotion won. "Don't laugh at that, I liked that umbrella!" Her voice came out whiny, unable to do naught more than pout when the dark-haired girl only laughed harder. "You're so mean!"

"Only you could get mugged by the weather!" Homura tried to compose herself, covering her mouth with her hand, but still spluttered hopelessly.

Madoka couldn't help but smile at that playful remark. It was one of the rare times where the transfer student showed real feeling, and the first time that she had seen the girl laugh. It was cute, she decided. The way that the stoic front had fallen away to give way to a childish grin made the humour infectious, and she couldn't stifle a giggle.

When she sneezed, however, that managed to sober up the laughter.

"You're soaked," Homura frowned, mood erratically changing. "I'll get you a change of clothes. It might be a good idea to take a bath as well, to make sure you get warmed up."

"Thanks," she said, relieved. Now that she didn't have a distraction; the awareness of the cold cloth against her skin was getting worse. "You don't mind, do you? I mean I come over to hang out and just hijack your bathroom…"

"I'd rather wait a while for you to get cleaned up than have you freezing with a cold, Kaname-san." Her classmate stated passively, beckoning to the tub for her to start running the water.

Homura made a detour for her bedroom to get some dry clothes. Searching through the closet, she wished she hadn't been so disbelieving about the pink-haired girl saying she'd come over. When she got a text, she had replied with her address, as agreed on the day of the suspension; which had been two days ago.

One look at the weather when she woke up erased any weak hope of visitors she might have had. Therefore, she hadn't bothered getting properly dressed, sadly. In other words, contact lenses were replaced with her glasses, neat clothing substituted with slacks and a tee-shirt, and her hairband was abandoned for a scruffy pony-tail.

When she heard the knocking over the door; she had been studying – which was the initial plan to make up for the lost class time. Buried in social studies and literacy; the last person she expected to find at her door was the very one who wouldn't get out of her head.

The sound of water running was her cue to get back to the bathroom.

"Shower gel and conditioner's in the cupboard. Use whatever you like." She stared at the floor as she passed over the change of clothes, heart skipping a beat when a hand grazed over her own. Unable to help it, she looked up and flinched inwardly when she caught sight of a warm smile.

"Thanks, Homura-chan."

*X*X*X*X*X*  
Comfy was the best word she could think of to fit the moment. Reclining back against the arm of a couch, she cradled a cup of tea in her hands and sipped at regular intervals. The transfer student mirrored her actions.

For the past hour or so after since Madoka had finished up in the bathroom; the time had been passed by uninterrupted conversation. She was loving every minute of it, and didn't even care that her plans to look her best when she came over had been completely snuffed anymore. Decked out in shorts and an over-sized shirt, she was definitely not the picture of perfection. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

To her surprise, despite the contrast in their personalities, she and Homura actually had a lot in common; from taste in music and movies to thoughts and opinions over more topical matters.

It wasn't until she looked over to the window and saw how dark it was outside that the tranquillity was shattered. "It's late!" Apparently that `hour' was a lot more than just one. "I'm gonna have to run home, everyone's probably wonder where I am."

Homura nodded understandably, setting her cup aside and walking to the window – where she blinked and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I hope you know how to swim."

"Eh?" By her side in a second, Madoka soon saw what she meant. The storm outside hadn't let up, if anything it had gotten worse. The rain was even heavier, and through the artificial light coming from the lamp-posts, it was easy to see that the streets and roads were badly flooded. A sudden flash of lightning made her jump.

"There's no way you're going out in that." It was a statement, not even a request or a question. "If you can't get a ride home then stay the night, you'll catch pneumonia out there."

_Stay the night?_

That didn't sound at all bad to Madoka. She wasn't exactly keen on walking through torrential rain, much less so when it was getting worse. Her mother wouldn't be home from work for hours, and until then she had the only car. Besides from that, she had a hunch that the roads would be closed anyway. "Are you sure? I mean, sleeping over."

"If you can't get a decent way home and your parents are okay with it, then yes. I think one drenching a day is enough."

The last part of that sentence were spoken light heartedly, and again she felt herself smiling. "I'll call and let them know."

*X*X*X*X*X*

Homura tried to squirm further away, but found herself to already be on the edge of the bed. In all honesty, things couldn't get much worse.

"Nheh…" The one next to her suddenly rolled over and closed the short distance between them, sleepily throwing an arm around her waist.

Her eye twitched. Heart beating fast as it was and not calming down, she apparently wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. Sharing a bed with another person may have been a new experience, but it didn't seem like a bad idea at the time. But she hadn't counted on the initial experience to make her feel ridiculously nervous.

Madoka completely disregarding the size of the double bed wasn't helping either. The girl, though out for the count, was intensely determined to stay huddled up close to her - despite there being plenty of room and there being no reason to touch.

She didn't _hate_ it per say; it just felt…well, weird. It was still nice in its own bizarre way though. The bed didn't feel quite so cold with someone else beside her for company, and it didn't feel as lonely. She liked having the other girl with her, she couldn't explain why; but it just felt comforting.

"Homura-chan…"

A sleep clogged murmur put her thoughts on hold. She listened, contemplating replying, before deducing that the one next to her was still unconscious. The pink-haired girl moved in closer, pushing her body snugly against hers. The dead-weight over her waist shifted, and a warm hand slid under her tee-shirt.

_What the-?!_

Body going ridged, she wasn't exactly sure what to do with herself. Contrary to any dirty thoughts that were starting to take root in her mind; that seemed to be about the limit for the time being. None the less, having fingers stroking across and then below her naval was beginning to fray her nerves. In more ways than one. Her fists clenched when she felt a rare but familiar tingle in her pants. She had never felt more freaked out or aroused, and her answer to this was Madoka nuzzling her face in between her shoulder blades.

_Okay, I'm sleeping on the couch. This is crazy._

Homura lifted the girl's arm off her, and then peeled the blankets back. Sitting up and dropping her legs over the edge of the bed, she went to stand. Just as she was getting up; something snagged at her pants and anchored her from rising more than a few inches from the bed.

Madoka really was persistent.

She tried half-heartedly to pry the fingers off the waistband of her pants, but gave up after no progress was made. Clambering back into bed, she was automatically greeted by a groan and a head slamming down onto her chest.

She deadpanned. _I give up. _

*X*X*X*X*X*  
Madoka stirred, nuzzling into her pillow. Her legs were curled up to her chest, and she stretched lazily in an attempt to wake up faster. Becoming more conscious, she could feel fingers running through her hair, ruffling the already messy pink-tresses. Opening her eyes, she found that she wasn't lying on a pillow – but someone's lap. Turning a bit and looking up, she saw that it was the dark-haired girl, whose face mostly obscured by the book she was holding up and reading.

"Morning," she murmured contently, smiling at the sight.

"Oh, you're awake." Homura quickly withdrew her hand, not looking up from her book. If anything, she seemed to hide behind it even more.

Already missing the contact, she took this as her cue to sit up, which she did with great reluctance. When a strain of silence passed, she moved to sit side by side with the other girl. "You read a lot."

"I like it. Besides, I didn't have much choice. I've been awake for the past hour; you just wouldn't get off me."

"What do you mean?" Frowning, she was starting to wonder why the girl wouldn't look at her.

"You're very…clingy in your sleep. You wouldn't let go off me."

"I was cold; I guess I couldn't help it." Madoka leaned back, curiously trying to read a bit of the book.

"Remember the last time you tried to read over my shoulder?" Homura asked flatly, closing the book and setting it aside on the chest of drawers by the bed.

"Okay, good point. And I probably should have warned you that I like to hug something when I sleep…" Right now things felt as awkward as the first time they talked. Every time that Homura seemed to be opening up and getting closer to her, she went cold again – icing over like the Alps. It was always one step forward, two steps back. And she was beginning to feel like banging her head against the nearest wall. Sighing, she decided to be blunt. "I'm not annoying you, am I?"

"Hmm?" The one in question turned and glanced at her blankly.

"You're okay around me one minute, and then you're all distant. Am I just bugging you?"

The dark-haired girl shrugged uncomfortably, the informal action out of place on her.

"That's not an answer, now be honest!" Knowing that she was starting to make progress, Madoka planted her hands on the transfer student's thighs and moved round to be face to face.

"You don't annoy me, you just…" Homura trailed off, avoiding eye contact for the umpteenth time.

"Just…?" She prodded.

"Nothing."

There was no way she was buying that, the other girl's voice was too clipped, and she was clearly on edge. Shuffling in closer, she tilted her head and tried to get a better look at the transfer student's face – hoping it would benefit with a more sincere and truthful answer.

It didn't work. Well, at least now she was closer to Homura. Just more physically and less emotionally than she would have liked. Even after all the conversing last night, it was like it didn't even mean anything, she was back to square one.

"You're a bit close," the girl pointed out unnecessarily with a heavy swallow.

"This is interrogation. I have to be close," was all Madoka could joke weakly in return. Her pulse was faster than she would have liked, and she now knew that her crush was rapidly turning into solid attraction. It took all of her efforts not to like her gaze wander to her classmate's lips, but she couldn't resist. She couldn't quite remember _what_ she was supposed to be asking in the first place. Mindlessly, she began to lean in.

"Kaname-san, I-I don't think that this…" Homura tried to move back, but her back connected firmly with the headboard of the bed. "…Is a good idea." But even as she said it, her eyes started to flicker closed.

And then her cell phone went off.

Anything that may have been about to happen died along with the moment. Madoka sprung back, hurriedly saying that she was going to get changed. Within a few seconds, she had grabbed her clothes and made a run for the bathroom – leaving Homura to wonder what on earth was about to happen.

Not much to consider, she knew full well what she had silently been agreeing to. Shaking her head fiercely, she grabbed her phone from beside her book to shut off the insistent buzzing about the wood of the cabinet.

Checking the caller ID, she figured that the school had managed to make contact with her mother. Knowing that hanging up would be a death wish; she answered it and could already hear an angry rebuking starting before she even got the phone against her ear.

*X*X*X*X*X*

"I'll call you later. Thanks for having me." Madoka didn't meet her stare, and instead fiddled with a bang of her hair which she hadn't tied up in her rush to leave.

"See you," she smiled thinly in reply, tapping her fingers where they rested atop the door handle.

"Bye, Homura-chan." Without another word, the pink-haired girl was walking away down the hall.

Homura threw the door closed with a loud exhale. What was she supposed to do now? The previous night had been wrong enough, but in the bedroom, things were off the charts. She always thought herself a rational person, but now that she found another girl to be getting such _physical_ reactions out of her, the dark-haired girl found herself doubting that rationality. But it wasn't even just that, around her she just felt, well, happy.

A knock at the door broke off her train of thought. Puzzled, she opened it, and revealed a serious looking Madoka.

She didn't even get a chance to question the sudden re-visit before she was grabbed by the front of her tee-shirt and jerked forward. Her eyes shot wide when warm lips pushed softly against her own. Being released a second later, the culprit was fleeing down the hall before anything could be said.

Not that Homura could have said anything anyway. Expression resembling that of a deer caught in the headlights and her face a violent shade of burgundy; she closed the door.

_**SOMETHING HAPPENED. OHMIGOD SO SEXY :D *Drools and faceplants keyboard because my brain is mush* Flawless tactics, am I right? `Wanna sue me for sexual harassment? Well you can't, because YOU'RE TOO SLOW! 8D *Belts away*' Either way - it is finished, at last! *cries tears of joy* Well, this chapter, anyway. This took forever to write…Totally not because of procrastination, or anything...I haven't slept since Saturday night, and it's 8am on Tuesday . Simpsons and Supernatural marathon…Yeah, that was pretty consequential.**_

*Headdesk* Time for sleep, then coffee. I'm going to be eating dinner for breakfast tonight by the time I get my 8 hours…*ahem* 12 hours… Nobody does sleeping-in like Obsidian :B Oh, and the next update will either be shorter or take a little longer… I know it probably got a bit confusing, but I hope it wasn't too weird. I won't lie – I did write this backwards. Don't ask, because even I don't understand why. Rambling is fun *has bricks thrown at her ;_;* Reviews are like caffeine, but better~ Hint hint *winks obviously* And thanks for all the on-going support, I love your comments, and a lot of them make me giggle :3  
-Obsidian  
X3


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
This will probably be a bit out of it, mainly because it's filler – hence the reason it's up sooner than a regular chapter would take XD But either way, maybe you'll get a few lawlz and it might tie up some loose ends. Let's hope it turns out well 8D**_

_**Chapter 7  
Spontaneous Or Ostentatious?**_

_I did not think that through. _

For the hundredth thousandth time, that reoccurring thought ran through Madoka's head. But in all fairness, she deserved whatever came back to bite her when her suspension ran out and she returned to school. Or whatever _came _to her via phone call or text message after Homura snapped out of her initial state of what-the-hell-just-happened.

With the realization that her cell phone was liable to start ringing with a very pissed off girl on the other line at any moment; she grabbed it and smashed her thumb down on the power button. She just _knew_ that if it sounded off with either a call or a message – she would have to answer or read it. And probably end up cut down with a series of insults that would leave her totally heart-broken and humiliated.

But wouldn't it be better to deal with it in private, rather than hide away until her next class and risk getting called out in front of everyone?

"Aghh!" She slammed her head into her pillow, holding it to her face and rolling onto her back. "_Why? Why!" _

It was safe to say that Madoka was certainly _not_ handling things well. She didn't even know why she had done something so reckless. Okay, it was no secret that she slipped up and made a mess of things from time to time, but this was so much worse.

In one crazy, spur of the moment second she had rushed everything, ditched her plan of being subtle and working her way into things – and near enough rammed her tongue down the new girl's throat. Well, maybe not to that extreme. But did it really make a difference? A kiss was a kiss, whether it be a full-blown attempt at making out or just the quick peck that it was.

Having run through each and every interaction with the other girl more times than she could count, the churning feeling in her stomach only got worse. The more the memories kicked about in her mind, the more blatant it became that the best she could have hoped for was to be an acquaintance. The transfer student didn't seem to like her that much, but she didn't hate her either. Well, if she didn't to begin with, then she did now.

Well, at least she wouldn't have to deal with things for a while. But she couldn't do much except lounge around – with Sayaka being grounded flat-out for the next few weeks. She wondered how well she could dodge anymore thinking through that time.

*X*X*X*X*

Maybe she should attempt to get another suspension.

It was Monday, and she could finally go back to school. It hadn't seemed so bad when she first woke up, the chance to finally _do_ something and not just wander aimlessly around her house all day clouding over the more negative tasks of the day.

But actually _going_ to class, the realization that she would have to face Homura had finally stuck her, and she wanted nothing more than to run home and hide in her bed. Or under it, whatever was safer. She was walking to the school gates, dragging her feet deliberately to go slower, when she was barrelled into from behind with such force that she almost hit the ground face-first. Before she could, arms wrapped around her midriff and yanked her back in balance.

"Free, I'm free!" As usual, Sayaka was living up to the hear-her-before-you-see-her style she maintained. "Indoors for the whole week, can you believe it? I was going _mad_ in there." The blue-haired girl hugged her friend tightly from the back, burying her face in the crook of her neck. "I couldn't even see my future wife…" She trailed off when she didn't get her usual reaction of giggling and demands to be released. "…You alright there?"

"Yeah," she muttered, trying and failing to make herself sound a bit perkier.

"Madoka, what is it?" Letting go and circling round, Sayaka looked her up and down in a way that reminded her of Homura at the apartment. She winced. "Did your parents give you grief for getting busted or something?"

She shook her head, shrugging miserably. She had left home later than usual, and knew that the transfer student was probably already sitting in class, waiting for homeroom to start. She wondered how many people the dark-haired girl had told already.

"Okay, you're worrying me here. Come on, tell me. I'm your husband, it's my job!" Sayaka grabbed her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake to spur her into talking.

After a few seconds of increasingly aggressive staring and shaking, she caved, knowing that her friend could keep it up all day. And probably would. "I did something stupid."

"We're making progress. Now, be more specific. Like, `I wrote a dumb answer in a test and failed,' stupid, or `I really shouldn't have done that, hide the evidence and run,' stupid?"

"I kissed someone." Why keep it secret when half the class were bound to have already heard `how much of a pervert Kaname-san is'? None the less, it felt good to tell someone. Considering it, she knew Sayaka would back her up in class. The blue-haired girl may mess about a lot, but she knew she was open minded and wouldn't turn on her. It actually calmed her down a bit.

"You _finally_ lose your first kiss – and I'm banged up in my bedroom without phone privileges? This is sacrilege, dammit!" The girl smacked her fist into her palm, looking outraged. "Who was it though, and why so down about it?" Snapping out of it, she looked at her in puzzlement.

"…Homura." She blushed dark.

"…" Sayaka looked at her vacantly. Then her eyebrows vanished under her bangs. Then she snorted, clearly biting the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing. "Oh my god, this is amazing," was all she said.

Madoka crossed her arms, trying to keep her composure, and awaiting for advice. Any kind would be good, right now; she wasn't in a place to be picky.

Her friend lost it and burst into hysterics, clutching her stomach. "Of _all_ the people you could wanna sex up, you take Akemi? She's such a stiff, who would have guessed that she's into chicks?"

"She isn't," the pink-haired girl informed sharply, wishing that Sayaka would give her some moral support. "I just grabbed her," she admitted, burying her face in her hands.

Understanding slowly found its way into Sayaka's expression."…In that case, you probably gave her a heart attack. What did she say after?"

"I don't know. I ran for it and haven't turned on my phone since I got back."

Sayaka ruffled her hair, her `calm down, it's all good' gesture, while shaking her head with a look of amazement. "You're a total ditz sometimes, you know. Since when were you so bold anyway?"

"Since never. I don't know, I mean, I just really wanted to. Like I just randomly turned round and just kissed her, I can't even remember what I was thinking." She could feel that her hair was getting knocked askew and would probably need re-tied now, but didn't honestly care.

"It's official; this place is a freak show. At least it's fun to watch." Another voice cut in, making them both turn abruptly to find its owner.

An apparently very sneaky Kyoko was standing to the side of them, leaning against a nearby tree and looking most amused.

"What the – how long have you been standing there?!"

"Long enough, Miki, long enough," the redhead sighed leisurely, producing a box of pocky from her pocket and jamming a stick into her mouth. "By all means, continue," she added with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"So you're not just a physco, you're a stalker as well," Sayaka grumbled.

"Hey; if I'm going to be forced to attend this school, then I may as well get some entertainment while I'm here…" cutting herself off, she leaned to the side to see past them, a grin slowly sliding across her face. "…and entertainment I'm going to get."

Sayaka would have ignored her, if not for the look of sheer terror on her friend's face. "Madoka?" She followed her line of sight, and instantly knew what Kyoko meant. Homura was approaching from the distance, though not looking at them.

"I predict another fight. Five boxes of pocky on the closet case!" The redhead munched her way through another stick of pocky, clearly loving every second of this.

"Would you get lost already?" Sayaka abandoned the pink-haired girl's side for the moment, marching up to the delinquent and giving her best intimidating look.

"Or what?"

"Wanna find out?" She gritted her teeth.

"Sure. I've got a few minutes. Hell, I've got all day – not like I'm going to _go to class_ or anything," she smirked.

"You got me suspended for a week already. If you land me with detention on top of that, I will kill you." Sayaka spoke slowly and calmly, stressing her words.

"Sounds like a challenge to me. I bet you can't catch me."

"I will _carry_ you there if I have to."

"Princess-style? You sure know what a girl likes to hear, you must take after Pinkie over there."

The redhead had adapted a whole new way of being insufferable, and the blue-haired girl was beginning to wish that she would go back to the traditional style of insulting and trying to hit her every waking second.

"Sayaka-chan, let's go before she sees me," Madoka cut in, tugging at her arm, having come out of her fear induced trance.

"Oi, Akemi!" Kyoko hollered at the top of her voice, which was a near super-human volume. Both of the other girls covered their ears. "She wants to talk to you! Come on, she doesn't bite, unless you want her too!" Maybe she was going to say more, but doubled over with laughter when she saw the girl being called heard her, glared in their direction.

Madoka took this as her cue to abandon what little dignity she had left and do what she had done back when everything had first gone belly-up. Run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Kyoko was laughing herself into an early grave, and even a smack over the back of her head couldn't shut her up. "You're a terrible person, I hope you know that."

"Better to be a bitch openly than to act nice when I ain't," the redhead replied, pulling herself together and stretching her arms above her head.

"Well, at least you admit to it," she raised an eyebrow, confused at the lack of come backs.

"My dad always used to say that honesty was the best policy."

Sayaka opened her mouth, then closed it again, recalling what the girl had said when they were in the principal's office. "…I'm sorry about your family, by the way."

The redhead blinked, giving her a somewhat gracious nod. "You remembered that, huh?"

"You _really_ know how to make an impression, so yeah. A bit hard to forget."

"That's me, making an impact wherever I go. Disorderly behaviour, and all that," she went to grab another pocky, but this time offered the box to Sayaka while she was at it.

Shooting her a look of disbelief, the blue-haired girl eventually took one; expelling the suspicion that it was poisoned. "Thanks," she bit down on the snack, finding it to be her favorite flavour. Knowing she shouldn't ask, but curious, she voiced out her thoughts. "What happened to them?"

"To keep it simple, we used to own a church. Dad was a preacher, but we lost all our followers. Don't know why, but one day afterwards he just lost it. Torched the place…with us in it." The redhead sighed, making a face. "Foster homes galore for me, thanks to somehow getting outta there." She spoke as if she were talking about something as trivial as the weather. Stuffing another pocky into her mouth, she bit down and chewed it thoroughly.

"Woah," she leaned back against the tree beside the delinquent, not sure what to say. "That's…rough."

"Mmm," Kyoko suddenly turned to face her. "I reckon I should have grabbed you from the front, last week."

"_What?" _Of all the ways to change the topic – saying that was in the top ten of the weirdest ways.

"You know, gave you a proper chance. That was a bitch move, I'll admit. Maybe you would've been a good challenge."

Sayaka snorted in mock arrogance. "A challenge? I'd have destroyed you."

A playful shove was her reply. "Just you keep telling yourself that."

*X*X*X*X*

Homura was going to kill her, and Sayaka was probably dead.

Yes, things were going swimmingly for Madoka, who was currently burning away the free time left before homeroom in the girls bathrooms.

Kyoko had made things even more embarrassing than what they already were – something she hadn't thought possible – and when she fled, she had left Sayaka with her. Knowing the pair of them, they were either fighting, about to fight, or one of them was in the process burying the dead body of the other.

Was it too late to apologize? More than likely. Would her apology be accepted if she did do it? She wouldn't bet on it.

How had her life gone so totally insane within the span of the past month? Everything was completely banjaxed at this point, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Up the creek without a paddle, lost at sea, sinking in quick sand, every euphemism for `I'm so dead' applied to her right now.

Maybe it was just the jitters talking, but if she was in this much trouble, she found herself thinking that she may as well have tried for more than just a chaste kiss. Wait – _what_ on earth was that?

She hit her palm against her forehead, trying to get it together. She was losing it. She took a deep breath, and then let it out.

_Okay, I've got this._

_**Fuck it, this is a crack-fic now.**_

_**It's like a freaking scholarship, isn't it? Free education if you have a depressing history! `My family got toasted!' `My heart doesn't work!' All I need to do now is have Mami stagger in crying, `I sold my soul to the Teddy Bear Lucifer! Now I have to fight reality defying abominations in a frilly dress!' *Slams head on table repeatedly* I can't write proper humour without adding sad bits XD I'm too depressing as a person for that O_O Filler chapter became a plot chapter. I don't know what the actual hell is going on 8D How much more do you guys want anyhow? I was thinking some plot-less fluff (suggesting this story wasn't that to begin with :B ) to round things off XD Let me know, because my mind is long past the point of functioning!  
-Obsidian  
X3**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica  
Homura's bi-polar, Madoka's dominating girls, and this story is on more cocaine than Charlie Sheen. OOC shit going down ftw. Either which way, I am back with another update; because so help me, I WILL finish a multi-chapter story for once in my life o_e Enjoy the read, and have a few giggles!**_

_**Chapter 8  
Two's company**_

_Okay, I haven't got this._

Madoka made a mental note to throttle her bestfriend when the girl actually turned up. Assuming she _did_ turn up; considering homeroom was supposed to start in less than five minutes. Of all the times where she needed the company of the other girl, comedic taunts and all, this would be one of the top ranking.

Problem was, she had made tracks outside the second things might have turned nasty, leaving Sayaka and the delinquent in each other's company – who got reacted together like water and electricity.

The day didn't feel real. Everything was out of sorts, and the last thing she felt like doing was going to class and taking her chances with being approached by Homura; who – if not wasn't already wound up – really was now thanks to Kyoko bellowing out suggestive jokes. To be completely truthful, the dirty look she got was one of the reasons she ran. For someone who seemed so polite and passive; the dark-haired girl could really give some bone chilling glares.

Hardly even walking at this point, she grinded to a halt at the top of the stairs. She had two choices: to go to class and calm down, or cut class and take the next flight of stairs to the roof to hide out – hoping Sayaka would turn up for the sake of support.

She started towards class, the idea of bunking off seeming too outlandish to commit.

But Homura was there, who blatantly wanted to rip her apart verbally.

Before she knew it, her feet were thudding up the stairs.

*X*X*X*X*

_She's still not here._

Homura glanced to the empty desk at the back of the room, and then went back to watching the door. Shaking her head, she instead focused on the bland surface her desk.

_What do you care?_

She didn't know what to expect when she saw Madoka again. Some answers, preferably. Well, in a not so pleasant way, she had gotten them. It was too good to be true, and she should have guessed it in the first place. Smirking bitterly, the transfer student chipped at her desk with her nail.

What she thought was done for a real reason was actually just for the purpose of having something to joke about when the pink-haired girl got to see her friends again. At least it served its purpose – and earned plenty of snickering and jeering from the group of them when they saw her walking in the gates. Kyoko was in stitches, Sayaka was clearly biting back a laugh, probably because she didn't want the redhead to know that her jokes were good.

_It's your own fault. You came here to finish middle school, not to make friends. So why…_

She sniffed, shoulders jerking.

…_Why does it hurt?_

Horrified, she knuckled her eyes when tears welled in them. When was the last time she cried?

Standing abruptly, she left the class; needing time to calm down. Not even caring where she was walking to, she ignored the bell announcing the beginning of lessons and kept going.

_She's already got me suspended, not like missing class will make a difference._

Thoughts taking on an attitude of apathy to match the pessimism she was feeling, she swung open the door in front of her. Stepping onto the roof and took a deep breath of fresh air, and then looked dead ahead and almost choked on it.

*X*X*X*X*_  
_  
Madoka's stomach dropped when she heard someone move behind her. She didn't think anyone would look for her, much less check up here. Untangling her fingers from the chain link fence surrounding the roof, she turned to see who it was; and instantly wished that it was a teacher instead of the girl staring back at her with equal disdain.

The silence made her hackles rise, only shattering when the heavy metal door slammed shut with a _clang._

"This is ironic," Homura stated flatly. "I came here to _avoid_ you."

"I came here because I was scared you'd kill me," she admitted in turn, smiling weakly when she heard how stupid it sounded out loud. Madoka braced herself for whatever was going to be said when the girl stepped forward, expression set in aggravation.

But at the last second, her scowl fell away, features portraying something crossed between upset and lost. "Kaname-san…why did you lead me on like that? I can understand just wanting to screw with me and telling your friends for the sake of a joke, but did you really have to act like you cared?"

It took a second for the words to sink in, where her face filled with disbelief. "You think that I was just messing with you?" Exasperation made her forget that she was nothing short of cowering on the roof a few minutes ago, and she paced forward to clap her hands on the dark-haired girl's shoulders, somehow resisting the urge to shake her while she was at it. "How many times do I have to tell you, I wanna be friends with you, and I'm not joking!"

"Then why did you just run off, and then earlier? You were all in hysterics about it," Homura picked at the holes in the argument as she backed up, but hit against the door behind her. Not the first time she had found herself cornered by the pink-haired girl who was, once again, questionably close.

"Because Sayaka-chan can't take anything seriously, and Sakura-san has a crummy sense of humour!" She made sure to look up to the lilac eyes that regarded her uncertainly, hoping that would portray her as more honest, and her heart gave a thud of protest at the scrutiny. "I was freaking out, I thought you hated me," she paused. "You don't, do you?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to," Homura responded quietly, appearing to be understanding, though was still trying to get loose by squirming.

"Stay still," Madoka admonished softly, pressing the dark-haired girl back with a bit more force. "You're blushing, by the way," she murmured, cotton-mouthed.

"Am I?"

She was painfully aware of how the transfer student was biting her lower lip meekly, teeth sinking into the soft flesh. Her mind flashed back to the last time they were like this, in the dark-haired girl's bed, until they were interrupted by a more than irritating cell phone.

"Yup…" Madoka swallowed, trying to get the moisture back in her mouth. "…Am I forgiven?"

"Yes," the girl muttered vaguely, eyes half-closed.

"Good." Shutting her eyes, she moved in.

The door spontaneously slammed open, sending the both of them sprawling.

"Ya gotta be faster than that, Miki!" Calling over her shoulder, Kyoko burst onto the roof; and apparently didn't see the other two girls. With a startled grunt, she tripped over a leg and smashed down atop the pair.

"You're going to class, you hyper ginger bit-woaahhh!" Skidding to a halt at the scene, a panting Sayaka tried to regain her balance via wind-milling her arms, but with no grip and too-much speed, she fell flat as well.

Sayaka, totally dazed by either chasing a sugar high redhead across campus or having the air knocked out of her by landing on top of the latter.

Kyoko used her arms to push herself to sit halfway up, finding herself to be on someone's back – by the hair, she guessed that it belonged to the transfer student she was mocking earlier in the day –who shifted uncomfortably. Turning her head, she found her pursuer lying half on her, half on the ground. She caught sight of a pink mop of hair as well, somewhere under there.

"For the love of God, whoever that is, move your freaking knee!" Kyoko regretted saying it the second whoever it was shifted the limb, making her squawk and turn the same colour as her hair. "Don't move, don't move!" Exhaling heavily, she went limp. "Oh man, I think I'm going to need a cigarette after that…" Touched up while in a pile of girls; defiantly not something she was expecting when she woke up today.

"Homura-chan, you're crushing my lungs…" Croaking from the lost depths of the doggy-pile, Madoka wasn't sure if she wanted to cry from being used as a public bench or be forlorn at having yet another moment ruined.

"Madoka? How the hell did you get in there?" Rolling off them, Sayaka lay on the concrete and was amazed to find her bestfriend lying under the others. "Akemi as well? Why are you two not in-" Cutting herself off, the blue-haired girl grinned lecherously. "Ohhh…."

"Nothing happened," Madoka wheezed, sucking in a chest load of air when her classmates clambered off her after what seemed like an eternity. "Thanks to you two," she grumbled, not as quiet as she would have liked. It wasn't until she took the hand that Homura was holding out to her with a smile and was pulled to her feet that her words made an impact.

"…So you two were doing it up here?"

The ones in question paled.

"You have such a way with words, you'd be a wonderful poet," Sayaka cut in as she stood and dusted herself off, shooting a sarcastic look at Kyoko.

"Nobody was doing anybody!" Madoka insisted, a bit shriller than she had intended.

"Sounds like a guilty conscience to me." The delinquent leaned back against the door, which had closed itself once again.

"For once, I agree with Cinnamon Challenge over there."

"_Enough _already! Yes, I have red hair, it's not funny anymore! It wasn't even funny to begin with." Begrudgingly sliding a candy bar out of her pocket and unwrapping it, she took a bite.

The blue-haired girl stuck out her tongue in reply. "It actually gets to you, so no. They'll always be funny," she snorted, noticing the smear of caramel stretching from the redhead's mouth to her chin.

Continuing on with their bickering, it left room for the original two occupants of the roof to converse normally.

Homura ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "This is all completely insane."

"What part?" Dejectedly, the pink-haired girl squeezed the hand that had helped her up from the ground, which she still hadn't let go off.

"I don't know where to begin," the dark-haired girl said honestly.

"Give me an idea," she suggested, anxiety growing as she had to wait for an answer.

"We're both girls, and we keep almost…You know. Not to mention we keep getting in trouble," the transfer student continued. "Our first day back after being suspended; and all four of us are out of class – we're just asking for it now. On top of that, my parents are already mad beyond all description, and if they find out what I've been doing with you, they'd kill me."

Madoka dropped the hand in her own, feeling like she'd been slapped. Of all the things to not take into consideration, she didn't know how she'd missed worrying about _that_. The problem being that she was so caught up in having her first serious crush to realize that it was on a girl, and now she could understand why Sayaka was being so merciless in her teasing. Looking at it from an outside perspective, it was just weird.

And she had run into it, headfirst, all guns blazing. Oh god, she was so stupid.

This was all said just after the snarky insults wore down to nothing, the delinquent and blue-haired girl pausing mid-scuffle over the remainder of the candy bar to listen in. Kyoko looked over to the one facing her, ignoring that they had a vice-like grip on either end of the confectionary in an elaborate game of tug-of-war .

"I'm confused. Who's gay for who?"

*X*X*X*X*

"It's past eleven," Sayaka reported, snapping her cell phone shut and replacing it in her pocket.

"All of us missing is shady enough. If we go trundling in altogether in the middle of the day, we may as well just save time and hike straight to the principal's office." Kyoko slid down the fence, crumpling to the ground and stretching her legs out. "I say we just forget school."

"Another inspiring speech," the blue-haired girl applauded dryly.

"She has a point though," Madoka chimed in distantly. "We'd probably end up in more trouble if we all went back now."

"Exactly; so I say we just hang around until school's out." Somewhat smug to have someone backing up her argument, Kyoko nodded firmly in rationalization.

"Madoka, since when so you listen to stupid reasoning like that?"

"She's friends with you, so I think that speaks for itself." That bit of wit earned a sharp look, which was responded to by a wicked grin.

"Kaname-san, you're not talking very much."

The previously-silent but familiar voice made her give a start. But she didn't turn away from her place of looking out over the landscape stretched in front of her. It was too embarrassing; she couldn't face the dark-haired girl.

"Mhm," she answered blandly.

"This is making _me_ feel uncomfortable," Kyoko mumbled with raised eye brows from her place a few feet away.

"It's painful to watch. I don't actually understand what's going on anymore, I thought they made up." Sayaka submitted to the fact that nobody was moving for the time being, so education was put on stand-by and she sat nearby the other girl.

"Didn't ya hear before? Akemi slammed her, saying that they were both girls and it was creeping her out." Barely paying attention, she patted herself down, devil-may-care expression faltering. "Dammit, I'm outta candy."

"My heart bleeds for you." Sayaka frowned, staring past the glowering redhead to her bestfriend who was unfittingly looking the closest she had ever been to genuinely depressed. "I thought Akemi liked her back, though. The way she always let Madoka hang onto her, and I've caught her looking a few times as well."

"What's it matter anyway?"

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "_Because, _idiot, she's my bestfriend. She's not one to get crushes on people, so this is pretty big."

"I can't have sappy conversation like this without something to tide me over," Kyoko pouted, hugging her knees to her chest. Something bonked her on the head, which she found to be a pack of gum courtesy of the one next to her. Perking up, she emptied several tabs from the box and shoved them in her mouth hungrily.

"You eat like a horse," Sayaka muttered. "Let's hope that sticks your teeth together and gives me a moment to wonder how I ended up stuck with you as company."

"The endless downward spiral of life," was her surprisingly morbid reply, spoke with a _pop_ of gum. "But you should count yourself lucky though, I'm too fun not to love."

The blue-haired girl reclined against the fence, staring up at the sky. "…I hate transfer students."

*X*X*X*X*

"Kaname-san, did what I say really get to you that much?" Reaching out, Homura placed her hand on the girl's forearm, the contact earning a flinch.

"I just realized how crazy I've been acting," Madoka sighed, not looking at her.

"I think it was more…enthusiastic," she offered awkwardly, not very good with this sort of thing.

"If you want to be nice about it. I'm really sorry, by the way."

Not knowing how else to break the tension, she took a leaf out of the pink-haired girl's book and - acting on impulse – placed her arms around Madoka's neck, gingerly pulling her back against her.

"You don't need to apologize." It didn't feel as odd as she thought it would to be holding onto her from behind like this. If anything, she quite liked it. Her chin rested neatly on the top of the shorter girl's head, and she was close enough that she could smell the scent of fruity conditioners coming from her hair.

"Homura-chan…"

The way her name was spoke, a surprised squeak that she couldn't deny as adorable made her smile. "I didn't mean it to come out sounding bad. I just meant that things were so hectic compared to what I'm used to, but in a refreshing way. So please, stop being upset." She nuzzled her nose against the pink-locks affectionately.

"So you don't mind this sort of thing?"

"It surprised me a bit at first, but not anymore…" Her calm resolve faltered when the one she was holding turned to face her. Ignoring the catch of her breath, she continued on. "If it's with you, I don't mind."

*X*X*X*X*

Kyoko was bored and having nothing else to do that watch the two girls talking things through to her right, snapped her gum in irritation. Staring at the ground, she began to blow a bubble. Sensing the boredom, the one next to her spoke up in an haughty way.

"You see what happens now when you run away from class?"

The bubble burst, sticking to the tip of her nose and making her eye twitch.

"Cram it, Miki."

_**Right, awkwardness out of the way. It'll get together next update .-. This story doesn't know what it wants, it's wonderful. Anything goes 8D At this point I could probably weave a yuri-apocalypse with space-panthers in here and it'd still make sense. Either way, it's nice to be writing something happy for once…I always end up adding lemons to stories like this, blame my sluttiness. But for once, I shall just indulge in fluff! Thanks to all of you guys for the reviews, I appreciate the support a lot :D  
-Obsidian  
X3**_


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